“How was your relationship with Zhao Pengcheng after marriage? Did you really not know what he was doing outside?” Mu Yu suddenly felt pity for the ordinary woman before her.

　　“After we got married, he was rarely at home. Even when we were together, I couldn’t feel any emotion from him, as if he was just completing a task. Later, he stopped coming home altogether. Even when he did come back, he would just go out with his friends to eat and drink. He would come back completely drunk every time and wouldn’t even stay with me,” Cao Xiufen wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. The unhappiness of her marriage had aged her prematurely. Despite being in her early thirties, according to her ID, her skin was rough, wrinkles creased her face, and she had noticeable gray hair.

　　Qiu Feng turned around and was surprised to see tears in Mu Yu’s eyes.

　　“Mentor, are you okay?” Qiu Feng remembered Mu Yu as a confident and composed figure. How could she empathize so deeply with a relative of the deceased today?

　　“I’m fine,” Mu Yu closed her eyes, holding back the tears.

　　“Let’s get back to business. Your husband has passed away, but the police suspect foul play. In cases of unnatural death, we usually send the body for forensic examination. We need your consent for this,” Mu Yu handed over an informed consent form, indicating for Cao Xiufen to sign it.

　　“Ah, I can’t decide on this. I have to ask my parents-in-law,” Cao Xiufen looked at the paper and suddenly panicked.

　　“Sure, you can give them a call, and we should inform them about this matter,” Mu Yu understood and patiently gestured for Cao Xiufen to make the call.

　　“Okay, I’ll make the call outside,” Cao Xiufen’s face turned pale, and her hands trembled as she took out her phone.

　　“Mentor, you fine? Have some water,” Qiu Feng noticed Mu Yu bowing her head, clearly affected by Cao Xiufen’s background.

　　“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Focus on the task at hand,” Mu Yu said, lifting her head. She then realized Qiu Feng had been watching her with concern and accepted the water bottle he offered.

　　“Honey lemon tea? I don’t drink such sweet beverages. Next time, get me coffee without sugar,” Mu Yu said, though she still took a gulp.

　　“Alright, I’ll remember that,” Qiu Feng noted down her preference in his phone’s memo app.

　　When Cao Xiufen returned, her face was even paler, her eyes red from crying.

　　“What happened?” Mu Yu handed Cao Xiufen a tissue.

　　“My in-laws won’t allow an autopsy. They only have this one son, and they want to take his body back home for burial,” Cao Xiufen said, tears streaming down her face again.

　　“Did your in-laws say something to you?” Mu Yu noticed her struggling to contain her emotions.

　　“Yes, they called me a jinx. After all these years of marriage, not even a child was born, and now their only son is dead. They said I was living well back in my hometown, I shouldn’t have come to the city to find their son. It’s only been a short while since I came here, and now their son is dead,” Cao Xiufen couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer, crying uncontrollably.

　　“Ma’am, please don’t blame yourself. The two elders are probably speaking out of grief for losing their beloved son,” Qiu Feng felt at a loss seeing this scene, unsure of what to say. Mu Yu swiftly stood up, walked over to Cao Xiufen, and gently patted her back, comforting her in a soft voice.

　　Cao Xiufen seemed to need this emotional release desperately. After crying for a while, she slowly lifted her head.

　　“Officer, I know my husband had another woman,” Cao Xiufen suddenly stopped crying.

　　“You knew your husband was having an affair?” Qiu Feng was astonished. If an ordinary woman found out her husband was seeing someone else, wouldn’t she create a scene?

　　“Yes, I knew. I knew a long time ago. They’ve been together for a while. About four or five years ago, when he still came home regularly, one night when I got up to use the bathroom, I overheard him talking to that woman on the phone outside. The way they spoke was definitely not just between friends,” Cao Xiufen wiped away the tears from her face, her eyes filled with resentment.

　　“Why didn’t you expose him back then? It would have been better to leave him,” Mu Yu couldn’t understand why she chose to continue living with him despite of his affair.

　　“I didn’t have any evidence. Our neighbor’s daughter studies law, and I asked her. She said if I wanted to sue for divorce or anything, I needed evidence of his affair,” Cao Xiufen’s face showed some disappointment.

　　“What’s the name of that woman? Do you know anything else about her?” Mu Yu thought this could be a valuable lead.

　　“I only heard my husband call her Yanfang. I don’t know anything else about her.”

　　“Why didn’t you use your phone to record it at the time?” Qiu Feng was puzzled. Even four or five years ago, most people in the countryside had phones, right? Even if smartphones were just starting to become popular then, basic phones still had photo and video functions.

　　“I didn’t have a phone until recently, after I came to the city last year, my husband bought me this cheap one,” Cao Xiufen took out her phone, which was probably the cheapest one available on the market, capable of only the most basic functions.

　　“What advice did the law student give you?” Qiu Feng felt that Cao Xiufen must have trusted that girl a lot, and he was curious to know what else she had been told.

　　“Alright, let’s get to the point. The autopsy must be carried out immediately. Drowning deaths are usually considered unnatural deaths. Can you give us the old man’s phone number? Let us try to persuade him,” Mu Yu had encountered many relatives of the deceased like this before. Even though the deceased was clearly murdered, some families still refused to allow medical examination, which always troubled her.

　　“Sure, but my in-laws are rather difficult,” Cao Xiufen took the pen and wrote down the phone number on the paper that Qiu Feng handed her.

　　“Mentor, why not let me try?” Qiu Feng noticed Mu Yu’s low spirits and thought he could share some of her burden.

　　“You don’t have the experience,” Mu Yu reached for the paper, but Qiu Feng quickly snatched it away.

　　“Experience is also accumulated over time. If I fail, you can try again,” Qiu Feng said, taking the paper and running off.

　　“You...” Mu Yu didn’t expect Qiu Feng to be so considerate. Since her mentor left, no one had cared about her emotions like this. Even though Yan Yang pursued her every day, he never understood her.

　　“Hello, I’m a criminal detective from the Criminal Investigation Division of Yunyao City Public Security Bureau.” As soon as Qiu Feng uttered this sentence, the elderly man from the other end accused him of being a scammer and immediately hung up.

　　“I’m not a scammer.” Qiu Feng felt upset as he heard the busy signal on the other end, but the thought of standing up for his mentor made him feel much better.

　　He attempted to call again.

　　“Enough said. My son was fine, and you’re teaming up with that woman named Cao to cheat us. If you want money, just say it. We’re poor farmers and don’t have any money.” The old man on the other end of the line was furious.

　　“We are police officers. We don’t need your money. Your son’s death is also considered unnatural. We are informing you today, not seeking your consent. Even without your consent, we can proceed with the autopsy normally. Once we determine the cause of your son’s death, we will inform you,” Qiu Feng’s words were firm, causing the old man to cough violently.

　　“What’s your name? You just wait, we’ll go to the police station tomorrow to report you,” the old man coughed for a while before catching his breath.

　　“My name is Qiu Feng, an intern at the Yunyao City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Team II. You can come and file a complaint anytime,” Qiu Feng replied calmly, despite his irritation.

　　“Alright, I’ve got you. You wait for me tomorrow.”

　　“Mentor, let’s inform Dr. Zhang’s team. We can start the autopsy,” Qiu Feng took several deep breaths before returning to the reception room.

　　“They’ve already started,” Mu Yu nodded in response.

　　“Mrs. Cao, do you know who your husband’s affair partner is?” Mu Yu always felt like the woman in front of her, besides narrating her tragic experiences, sometimes had a flicker in her eyes, as if she was hiding something.

　　“I really don’t know. Since coming to the city, he had been busy every day and rarely came home. I basically live a life similar to before in the village, just without the bullying from my in-laws.”

　　“Alright, if you remember anything, feel free to let us know,” Mu Yu stood up, indicating that Cao Xiufen could leave.

　　“You didn’t get the consent of Zhao Pengcheng’s parents, did you?” After seeing off Cao Xiufen, Qiu Feng, who had planned to drink some water, was choked by Mu Yu’s words and coughed repeatedly.

　　“Mentor, we didn’t need the consent of the deceased’s family in the first place. You sent me there, and I got scolded. They called me a fraud, and they’re coming to report me tomorrow,” Qiu Feng sat down with a look of grievance, holding his chin in his hands and looking at Mu Yu.

　　“Do you always act like this spoiled in front of your parents? You’re already an adult, a big guy. Can they stand it?” Mu Yu had already picked up her things and stood at the door of the reception room.

　　“They can stand it, because I am their son,” Qiu Feng had no intention of leaving, just turned around to look at Mu Yu standing at the door.

　　“I’m leaving. Are you going to stay here overnight?” Mu Yu placed her hand on the light switch.

　　“Don’t, Mentor, Yu, dear sis, I’m afraid of the dark, wait for me,” Qiu Feng saw Mu Yu about to press the switch and suddenly jumped up from his seat, as if there was an invisible spring on the chair.

　　“You’re a grown-up, still a detective, and afraid of the dark?” Mu Yu clearly didn’t believe it. She pressed the switch, and the room suddenly plunged into darkness, with the corridor’s voice-activated light dimming as well.

　　“Sis, I’m really scared.”

　　Suddenly, Yu felt like a human pendant hanging from her body, unprepared, she fell backward, and then she found herself lying in a soft embrace.